Meant to be Yours

by Sequaia

  “Aúrea, you made it,” Patrice said with a broad smile on her face that threw me off. Why was she always so happy to see me?

  Shrugging, I went and took the seat across from where they were sitting. Patrice wasn’t at fault in any of this. Still, I couldn’t be fake with her or act like she was always around and the best aunt in the world. She knew as I did that she and I could count on one hand the number of times we interacted.

  “We’re going to step out and allow you two to talk. When you’re done, press the red button on the phone, and we’ll come back in,” Travis said.

  I nodded at him, then looked down at the table as he and Patrice left. It seemed like forever had passed before Patricia finally started speaking, and I could hear why.

  “Aú-Aú-Aúrea,” she struggled to say my name, and my eyes immediately shot up to look at her. “I-I’m so-sor-sorry,” she forced out. Her voice was raspy and low. It was only audible because we were in this empty room. I could also tell she was straining to speak louder than her voice could carry.

  I took a deep breath before pushing back the chair and standing to walk closer to her to sit. I felt terrible watching her struggle to speak. When I read on social media that she was sick, I didn’t think she would look like this. Patricia had been a nurse, someone who specialized in health care. Why was she like this? How could she have allowed herself to get like this?

  “Thank you,” she said, barely above a whisper. There was nothing forced in her tone with getting this out, which helped me conclude that she had been straining to speak loudly when I was away from her.

  “What happened to you?” I know she apologized and had things she wanted to get off her chest, but I wanted to know why she was in a wheelchair and needed an oxygen tank first.

  “I’ve always been sick. Not long after you left, things went downhill for me. I have an immune disorder. Don’t worry about me, though. That’s not why we’re here.” Each word she spoke was low and raspy.

  “I never knew you were sick.”

  “How could you? I didn’t pay enough attention to you, which meant you didn’t have to pay much to me. Still, you were a good kid, Aúrea.”

  She wasn’t lying about that. Though I somehow had a reputation around my high school, I wasn’t doing half the shit people claimed I was, nor was I doing nearly all I could have, given she worked so much and hardly paid me any mind. I had the life most teenagers dreamed of, the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted. Instead, I did my schoolwork, chilled with Janae and Prentice, and, unfortunately, got fucked by my foster father—her husband.

  “Surprised you noticed.” I sucked my teeth, feeling myself become annoyed. She could attest to me not causing any trouble, yet she hadn’t known what Von was doing to me?

  “I did. Well, it was either that, or you were great with not getting caught. Your school never called, you were always in by curfew, and you were so independent.”

  “I was independent because I had to be.” My words stung. Her expression showed it.

  “I fed and clothed you. By the time we got you, you were pretty much able to take care of yourself. I’m sorry that I didn’t realize—”

  “You didn’t realize that I was still a child who still had a lot to learn? Who still needed a mother figure? Who was dealing with things against my will?” My eyes were welling with tears. I didn’t want to cry, but I did not want to let her see me cry. It wasn’t something I could stop, though.

  “You’re right,” she admitted with tears falling from her eyes.

  “You need some water?” I quickly pulled myself together at the coughing fit she fell into. She shook her head rapidly, holding her hand up to pause me from whatever she thought I was about to do, which was screaming for help.

  19

  Prentice

  I took a right on Emerson Rd. and pulled into the back lot of the pharmacy I was in charge of. Today, I was driving my 2019 Honda Accord because it was the most inconspicuous car I owned. All my other vehicles were foreign, minus my Tesla, and when I was out in the streets handling business, I wanted to look more like a 9-to-5 worker versus the rich, street nigga. Not that my other cars automatically signaled that, but I couldn’t put it past the cops to assume it if they saw me driving through known hoods. I stepped out of my car, dusting the invisible lint from my black Levi jeans. As I headed to the back door, this was also where the employees parked, so there was nothing suspicious about what I was doing. I knocked three times, which was code to let them know the boss was there.

  “Hey, Prentice,” Griffen, the doctor and owner of the pharmacy, greeted me with a brotherly hug.

  “What’s up?” I nodded, stepping through and allowing him to shut the door behind me. I looked around the big shelf toward the front and saw a line. Business was always good at this location.

  “Busy today?” I spoke knowingly. It was more of a compliment than a statement.

  “Yes, both sides of the business are doing good today,” he informed me, bringing a small smile to my face.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” I told him, following behind him to his office. This area of business, well, what was going on in the front, was all him. The other side was all me.

  “Me too. And since you can see we’re busy in the front, you think you can hang tight for a couple of minutes while I help my employees? Ted’s ass bailed on me today, so I’m the only lead pharmacist,” he expressed, looking stressed as hell. Just seconds ago, he looked calm and happy about the money coming in. Then once he realized he had to go back to the front, his mood quickly changed.

  “Yeah, just don’t take too long. I got other moves to make.” He had business to handle, and so did I. I would only give him so long.

  “Five minutes tops. Let me show this girl how to operate this machine.”

  “All right,” I agreed.

  Usually, I wouldn’t have waited. I would have told him that what I needed and had going on was far more important than what he needed to do upfront. However, my patience had become a lot better since Aúrea came back. She was slowly changing things about me, and I had no issue with it, especially if it would make her comfortable enough to stick around. I wasn’t sure what she and I would do in the future as far as a relationship was concerned, but right now, having my friend back was enough. I knew eventually, I would be trying to take it there with her. I went to bed too many nights with my dick on brick just thinking about her and knowing she was in the next room, and I couldn’t do anything with her.

  “Thanks for waiting, Prentice. You know we’re usually better organized around here,” Griffen said, walking back into his office faster than I expected.

  “It’s all good.”

  “So, here’s the money for the products picked up from me, including the amounts and log sheets for the people who picked up.”

  “What you mean people who picked up? There should be only one person picking up from you at all times.” I sat up in my seat, mugging the hell out of Griffen.

  “I-I . . . Here, look,” he stuttered, sliding the paper in front of me. I looked down the list and saw Sonic’s name and Nick’s. Sitting back, I relaxed a little, remembering that Nick had to make a pickup once because Sonic had some shit with his moms.

  “My bad, Griffen. That name was approved for that day only. Things are to remain how they’ve always been. One name for the product and always me for the money.”

  “I gotcha, man. Shit, you almost gave me a heart attack. Today is just one of those days, and if I fucked up . . .”

  “But you didn’t, so let’s just finish so that you can get back to work.”

  “There will be another order coming in next week. By Friday, it’ll all be ready for pickup.”

  “Cool.” I stood and extended my hand to shake while taking the bag of money. I went out the same way I came in, placed the bag in my trunk underneath the rug where my spare tire was supposed to be, and headed for my next destination. I was supposed to get up with Mr. Lewis today to talk. We had
these meetings once a month where we talked about business and grown-man shit. He took on the role of my mentor and father figure, and I appreciated him for it.

  I headed south on Emerson Rd. before hooking a left on to Edison. I needed to take the money in my trunk to the safe house. I drove carefully, doing the speed limit and using my signal for every turn until I pulled up to a small corner store owned by Sonic and me. His grandmother ran the store, and no one knew we had anything to do with it. We called it the safe house because it was safe, and it housed our shit. I was grateful it wasn’t too far from the pharmacy, so I could get in and out, putting the money into the safe only we knew about, then left with my favorite bag of chips, Cool Ranch Doritos.

  As soon as I was back to my car, I pulled my phone from my pocket, ready to call Mr. Lewis, and noticed a notification from my Ring app on my phone. I blew out a frustrated breath because if Brittney’s ass showed up starting some shit, it was going to be her ass. Opening the app, I waited patiently for the damn thing to catch up and give me a playback.

  “No!” I shouted, sounding like a little bitch. I didn’t care either.

  When it connected, I saw Aúrea rushing out of my front door to an awaiting car. I can’t lie. If I weren’t as young and healthy as I knew I was, the tightening of my chest would have led me to believe that I was having a stroke or heart attack.

  “Where you goin’, A?” I questioned as if she could hear me while putting my car in drive and peeling off the sidewalk. It was good that I dropped the money off because signals and speed limits did not matter this time. Getting to my house fast was all I cared about. I was on the other side of town at least half an hour from my crib, but I made it there in record time. My car was barely in park when I hopped out and rushed to my door. I twisted the knob, which was locked. To me, that was a good sign. She was either back or cared enough not to leave my shit wide open. I opened the door, bursting inside.

  “Aúrea,” I called out to her, racing up the stairs toward the room she’d been staying in. She had made the bed, and there was no sign of her in the house. I hurried to the closet and was thankful to see her clothes still hanging. After two days of begging, I had convinced her to stop living out of her suitcase.

  I left her room and sat at the bottom of the stairs, removing my phone from my pocket. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about calling her before. I scrolled through my contacts until I reached her name.

  “Ain’t this some shit?” I chuckled, realizing the number saved was the number she had before she left. I had no way of contacting her, and it hadn’t crossed my mind until now. We’d been spending every day together. She was always here, and I was easily accessible to her, so exchanging numbers didn’t even cross my mind. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen her on the phone or with one, for that matter. Regardless, when she came back, if she came back, that would change.

  “Damn, she doesn’t have a fucking key,” I remembered aloud, standing from the stairs and heading to the front door. I checked my phone, and the time read 3:00 p.m., which prompted me to see how long ago she left.

  Opening up the Ring app, I saw that she had left about a quarter ’til two. I sat on the front step, twiddling my damn thumbs with my left leg shaking, trying to calm myself down. She had just come back into my life, and I already couldn’t see myself without her. I wasn’t going to be any good if Aúrea disappeared on me again. Not only that, but I was also going to be pissed if she did.

  The sound of tires rolling across the pavement caught my attention, and I saw a little black Camry pulling up to my front gate. The back door opened, and I saw her step out. Relief washed over me like a ho who dodged an STD. I stood to my feet so fast, power walking to the end of my driveway.

  “Man, you trippin’,” I drawled, wiping my hand down my face while opening the gate for her.

  “I had something to do, Prentice. I didn’t know I had to run my every move by you.” She sucked her teeth, marching ahead of me.

  I stood there looking at her like she was crazy as hell.

  “Nah, you don’t. But when you left and decided I was not important enough to keep in contact with and had me wondering if you were dead or alive for the past five years, it would’ve been nice to give me a heads-up,” I spoke to her back. She stopped. My words must’ve done something to her. I could see her shoulders rise and fall, letting me know she was taking deep breaths to calm down, I assumed.

  When she turned to face me, my heart broke. Her eyes were puffy. Her cheeks flushed . . . All signs that she had been crying.

  “A, I’m sorry. I just—”

  She held up her hand, halting my words. I wasn’t sure if it was also my feet she was trying to stop as I was making my way closer to her.

  “I didn’t mean to make you think I’d walk out on you without a word,” she spoke in a broken tone. She was afraid to make eye contact with me.

  Fuck, I scared her. My face scrunched in confusion before taking my right hand and rubbing it down my face.

  “You don’t have to apologize to me, Aúrea. That’s my bad. I shouldn’t have come at you like that.” Slowly, I closed the distance between us and gently reached for her hand, half-expecting her to pull back but grateful that she didn’t.

  “Who upset you? Besides me?” I asked as her eyes slowly made their way to mine. When our eyes met, I gave her my signature sexy, brown-nigga grin and was glad she reciprocated, forcing out a small smile of her own. No doubt, I had pissed her off. However, her eyes and flushed face told me she was upset long before she got here.

  “Who I gotta beat up?” I cupped her chin, forcing her to keep her eyes on me. Damn, her lips were sexy as hell, and when she nervously licked them, it took everything in me not to press mine against hers.

  “I went to the lawyer’s office and met with Patricia, her sister Patrice, and the attorney, Travis.”

  “So you decided to go?” I clarified because she had been on the fence about going when she received the invitation. Not only that, but it also kind of hurt me that she hadn’t thought much of me to let me in on it.

  “Yeah, I realized it was something I needed to do. Alone,” she emphasized that last part, and I won’t lie, that shit stung. Slowly, I removed the hold I had on her chin, nodding my head in understanding.

  “So why are you so upset? I know your foster mom is in a wheelchair and all . . . If she hurt you, I know a few ladies over 80 willing to get down for a few dollars.”

  “Nooo,” she laughed, making me smile. She laughed hard too like I told the best joke in the world when I was serious as hell. Patricia could get it, if necessary. Aúrea should’ve seen by now that I wasn’t playing about her.

  “It’s fine. Though the meeting didn’t go as I expected, it wasn’t as bad either. Can we go inside now and talk?”

  “We can do that.”

  She turned before me and walked inside like she owned my shit, and I had no complaint about it. This was a view I could get used to, which reminded me that I would be getting her a key made. Hopefully, that gesture would show her how much I wanted her here. I locked the door behind us and smiled, seeing Chuck and Rocko all over her with their tails wagging while she giggled. They never took to Brittney like this, and she spent more time around them than Aúrea had.

  “All right, y’all, get down. Go sit,” she told them, and like obedient children, they listened. The shit blew my mind, mainly because I had no idea they would listen to her. I always told them to leave her alone or get down, or I kept them out of the way for the most part. She took a seat on the sofa, and I did the same, waiting for her to begin talking.

  “Patricia and Von left me everything as well as made me the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. I’m not rich, but I’m not broke, either. I also found out that Patricia planned to tell me about my birth mother on my eighteenth birthday, but, of course, I ran away, so I missed out on that information.” She released an uneasy chuckle. “Anyway, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay a little
longer until my money clears, and then I’ll look for a place of my own.”

  “I don’t want you to leave at all.”

  “Prentice.”

  Her tone didn’t sound like she was irritated. It was like she was pleading with me to not argue with her—I would honor that . . . for now.

  “All right.” I threw my hands up in surrender. “How do you feel about it all? The stuff with your birth mother, especially.”

  In all the years I’ve known Aúrea, we never really spoke about the woman who birthed her. She seemed to accept that her birth mother wasn’t around, so there was never a reason to discuss her.

  “I don’t know. I guess I may look into it. Patricia told me she wasn’t sure if she was alive. So I haven’t fully decided if it’s something I should look into,” she shrugged.

  “Well, you know I’m here if you need me, right?” I raised my left brow, looking at her, urging her to give the right answer ’cause if she didn’t know, my ass was doing something wrong.

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Good, then can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why is it that you don’t want to live here? Everything has been good since you’ve been here. What’s the problem with staying? I know you got your own money and shit, now, but that doesn’t mean you have to move out.”

  She looked at me, and I could see she was thinking about the answer she wanted to give me. I just hoped it was an honest one.

  “I’m not trying to mess up the things you already had going on before I got here. You’ve already made many adjustments since I’ve been here, and I’m not trying to get in the way.”

  “You’re not in the way, Aúrea. How can you be in the way if a nigga wants you here? Why are you beating around giving me the real reason you not trying to accept my offer?”

  “You have a girlfriend, Prentice,” she blurted out, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I mean, I let out a hearty-ass laugh because that shit was hilarious. I don’t know what I had to do to show her I was single as a dollar bill.